Funds to upgrade sports infrastructure increased multifold under DMK rule in TN: Stalin

Chennai, Oct 14 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday said funds allocated to develop the sports infrastructure in the state increased to Rs 1,945.7 crore.

During the previous AIADMK regime, Rs 170.33 crore was allotted in its five year rule, he said.

Participating at the valedictory ceremony of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Trophy 2025, here, he congratulated Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for organising the event and in identifying the sporting talents in the state.

Praising Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Additional Chief Secretary Atulya Misra, and other officials for conducting the ceremony in a grand manner, Stalin said, "Tamil Nadu sports is in its golden age under the Dravidian Model rule (of the government)." "Whether it is international level games or national level competitions, Tamil Nadu has progressed to conduct such events..., " he remarked.

Citing Udhayanidhi's comments in the event that the government has achieved top rank in every departments during the last four years, the CM said, "We also recorded the highest double digit economic growth of 11.19 per cent which no other state has achieved so far." "For the development of the sports infrastructure in the state, during the previous AIADMK regime a sum of Rs 170.33 crore funds were allotted. But in the last four years of DMK rule, Rs 601.38 crore has been allotted. In total, we have allotted Rs 1,945.7 crore till date," he said.

Stalin on the occasion also launched the Chief Minister's Sportsperson's Medical Insurance Scheme, aimed at providing medical insurance coverage to sportspersons. With a premium insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh, it would cover 25,000 sports personalities who suffer injuries during games.

Chennai emerged as the overall champions finishing at the top across various events at the Chief Minister's Trophy 2025.

Earlier in his address, Udhayanidhi, who also holds the Youth Welfare, Sports Development portfolio, said, to make Tamil Nadu become a 'No 1' state in the country, former Chief Minister and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi had formed a separate ministry for the sports department.

"It is because of Dr Kalaignar (M Karunanidhi's) initiative, today Tamil Nadu has become No 1 state in sports as well. An apt example for that is the today's Chief Minister's Trophy 2025," he said.

On conducting the event, Udhayanidhi said the government allotted Rs 84 crore as funds of which Rs 37 crore has been earmarked as the prize money.

Referring to the previous edition of the CM Trophy conducted in 2023, he noted that only 4 lakh athletes took part, whereas it surged to 16 lakh in the 2025 edition.

"From this you will be able to understand how well the event has been received among the public," he said.

"The vision of this event is to bring out the hidden sporting talents of people in sports. The Chief Minister's Trophy 2025 is a launch pad to every sportsperson in the state which would enable them to compete at the national and international level competitions," he added. PTI VIJ KH